MX vs. ATV: Untamed Review - Xbox 360

Every now and then we see an alternative racing game to the norm. They may feed us a new Need for Speed and Burnout almost every year, and we all know a new Project Gotham is probably in the works at Microsoft, but MX vs. ATV: Untamed is the first MX vs ATV game on the Xbox 360. The Motocross franchise always receives rather mixed reviews when a video game is made, mostly due to the games being fairly ordinary compared to the top racers. MX vs. ATV: Untamed is a perfect demonstration of a fan-pleasing game that only the most hardcore fans and the most apathetic gamers should buy. Join us as we go cross country through dirt and puddles in the second dirtiest (Don’t forget DiRT!) racing game on the 360.

Gameplay

The main menu in MX vs ATV: Untamed gives you four different gameplay mode options: Quick Event, Custom Event, X-Cross Tournament, and Event Series. You’ll find most of the gameplay in X-Cross Tournament and Event Series where you can choose from a good array of different competitions to compete in. The tournament works as a progressive thing where you can only complete the finals if you have beaten every other tournament; however Event Series mode allows you to jump straight in to any series.

In Custom Event you will also find a whole heap of custom modes, with the most appealing being Free Roam. In Free Roam mode the game almost works like Tony Hawk games where you travel around a large area doing missions if you choose. With hidden objects and several different environments, Free Roam mode will keep gamers coming back to this game, as long as you can put up with the handling. The game’s official website boasts a Rythym Racing engine that includes throttle based power slides and more, but all vehicles in the game handle completely awkwardly in the various environments. Perhaps we are spoilt by games like DiRT and Sega Rally Revo when reviewing this game as a comparison, but MX vs. ATV: Untamed definitely does not have a ‘legendary’ engine.

The vehicles don’t take any damage, however the crashes are basically the only part of the game that is entertaining. The bikes and karts can go flying off in all sorts of directions as each hill/jump is a different angle with a different landing. While playing through most of the game, we enjoyed mingling with the other vehicles at the start of the race the most, but once you get ahead of the pack, the track seems like more of a chore than a challenge to get through. Furthermore, some of the jumps are extraordinarily hard to predict and can end up costing you the lead if you go off course.

It’s actually quite surprising just how narrow the tracks are. They appear wide, the game appears open, but if you go slightly off track you get a three second counter, and if you don’t get back on the track your vehicle will reset. ...